An apparatus having the described features is known from EP 1 293 552. The horizontal screw conveyor and the telescopic charging chute of this known apparatus are unified into an operating unit mounted underneath a coal-charging larry cart so it is adjustable in two directions. With the known measures, the horizontal screw conveyor is suspended from an adjustment carriage on a track on the lower side of the coal-charging larry cart. The horizontal screw conveyor is movably displaceable transversely to this track direction on profiles of the adjustment carriage. By dual-axis adjustment of the operating unit, the telescopic charging chute can be aligned with the particular location of the coal charging ports in the top wall of the coke oven, so that the telescopic charging chute attached to an outlet of the horizontal screw conveyor may always be lowered vertically into the charging-port jamb of the charging port to form a seal. However, the transition between the coal outlet of the coal-charging larry cart and an intake funnel of the horizontal screw conveyor is problematic. This transition area must be sealed to avoid emissions. In the known apparatus, a compensator is used that must compensate for lateral adjustment movements of the operating unit in two directions. The coal outlet of the charging cart has a larger outlet cross-section, so that a compensator having large dimensions must be used. During lateral movement of the operating unit, the compensator is strained significantly. A further, more severe disadvantage of the known apparatus is that the known configuration requires a great deal of vertical clearance between the coal outlet on the lower side of the coal-charging larry cart and the top wall of the coke oven. This is not always available. Furthermore, suspension of the horizontal screw conveyor that is movable in two directions, has a complex construction. The known apparatus is unsuitable or is only suitable with restrictions for retrofitting existing coke oven installations.
The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for emission-free charging of chambers of a coke oven that requires less space, may compensate for large positional deviations of the charging ports, and is suitable for retrofitting existing coke oven installations.
Starting with an apparatus having the features described above, the object is attained according to the invention in that the intake funnel of the telescopic charging chute and the lifter connected to the telescopic charging chute bottom part are mounted on a support frame that is mounted so it is movable in a straight line in a first direction inside a traveling frame, the traveling frame being horizontally movable in a second direction on rails mounted on the lower side of the coal-charging larry cart, and a seal being provided on the top side of the traveling frame, surrounding the intake funnel of the telescopic charging chute, working together with a horizontal flange surface on the surface of the outlet of the horizontal screw conveyor, and permitting horizontal movement of the intake funnel relative to the outlet of the horizontal screw conveyor.
In the ideal case, the charging ports in the top wall of a coke oven are equidistantly spaced and aligned in the travel direction of the coal-charging larry cart. The real conditions on a coke oven often deviate from this ideal case. In particular in older coke ovens, the positions of the charging ports deviate in both directions (X, Y) and are frequently more than 50 mm. The apparatus according to the invention is based on the idea of compensating for deviations of the charging port axes in the X and Y directions by horizontal adjustment of the telescopic charging chute. To this end, the telescopic charging chute and its vertical lifter are decoupled according to the invention from the outlet of the horizontal screw conveyor and mounted in a chassis formed by a traveling frame and a support frame that is linearly shiftable in the traveling frame so it can shift horizontally in two directions. The support frame and the traveling frame are movable independently of each other in directions perpendicular to each other. Position deviations of the charging-port jambs can be compensated for by sequential stepped movement of the traveling frame and the support frame or by simultaneous adjustment of these parts. The overall height of the chassis comprising the traveling frame and the support frame is low, so that older coke ovens may also be equipped with the apparatus according to the invention. Furthermore, a small mass is to be moved for adjustment of the telescopic charging chute, which simplifies the technical implementation of the concept according to the invention.
After the telescopic charging chute has been positioned exactly above a charging port by adjusting the traveling frame and the support frame, the telescopic charging chute executes a purely vertical movement toward the charging-port jamb by the lifter and comes into contact in the charging-port jamb without being inclined. This way, a good seal is formed with the charging-port jamb so that no emissions can escape to the surroundings during the charging procedure.
The rails for guiding the traveling frame preferably extend in the travel direction of the coal-charging larry cart (Y direction), while the support frame is guided movably on the traveling frame transversely thereto and parallel to the chamber longitudinal axes (X axis).
The traveling frame and the support frame preferably lie in a common plane. Such a configuration results in a very low overall height of the chassis comprising the traveling and support frames. The traveling and support frames are advantageously made of U-profiles, rollers running in the U-profiles of the traveling frame being mounted on the support frame. The traveling frame is also equipped with rollers and runs in a track secured below the horizontal screw conveyor of the coal-charging larry cart. The rails for the traveling frame preferably are U-profiles suspended by beams on the coal-charging larry cart and horizontally open. The rollers mounted on the traveling frame engage in these U-profiles that open on one side, and run in them.
The support frame carries the complete telescopic charging chute including its vertical lifter. This lifter for the telescopic charging chute has a lifting frame guided on a vertical beam and is movable along the vertical beam by a hydraulic actuator that is connected to the telescopic lower part by pivoted links. The vertical beam of the lifter is fixed to the support frame horizontally offset from the horizontal screw conveyor.
To avoid emissions during the charging of the coke chambers of a coke oven, a seal is provided on the top side of the support frame, surrounds the intake funnel of the telescopic charging chute, and presses against a horizontal flange surface on the periphery of the outlet of the horizontal screw conveyor during coal charging. The seal is preferably adjustable in operation in such a way that the seal does not touch the adjacent flange surface during horizontal adjustment of the telescopic charging chute and presses against the flange surface to form a seal only during coal charging. The seal on the top side of the support frame can in particular be formed as a diaphragm or as a bellow or hose seal that is held in an annular chamber and can be expanded by compressed air or another pressure medium. The intake funnel of the telescopic charging chute is cylindrical and is surrounded by a cylindrical region of the telescopic lower part. A peripheral seal is also provided on the outer surface between the cylindrical region of the intake funnel and the cylindrical region of the telescopic lower part and can preferably be changed while in service to and permit an essentially contactless adjustment movement of the telescopic lower part. The peripheral seal can also be a hose, bellows, or diaphragm and be connected to a pressure source, like the seal on the top side of the support frame. During operating movements of the telescopic charging chute in the horizontal or vertical directions, the seals are relieved of pressure, so that the parts to be sealed are freely movable relative to one another. If the telescopic charging chute has reached its final position for the charging procedure, the seals are filled with compressed air or another pressure medium. Due to the pressurization, the seals bulge outward and press against the respective surfaces of the parts to be sealed. An optimum tightness is ensured during the charging procedure in this way.
Respective hydraulic actuators are preferably used for horizontally moving the support frame and the traveling frame. According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, hydraulic actuators equipped with proximity detectors are attached to the support frame and to the traveling frame.
The hydraulic actuators are connectable to a machine controller of the coal-charging larry cart, in which data about the positions of the charging ports in the top wall of the coke oven are held. The deviations of the charging-port jamb in the X and Y directions from the ideal position are detected by measuring technology at every charging-port jamb and stored in the machine controller of the coal-charging larry cart. Because of the relation of these deviations to each charging-port jamb and each chamber, the telescopic charging chute may already be individually adjusted by the apparatus according to the invention during travel of the coal-charging larry cart or alternatively after positioning the coal-charging larry cart over the chamber to be charged in such a way that the telescopic charging chute is oriented concentrically to the charging-port jamb and can be lowered into the charging-port jamb by a purely vertical movement. Lateral movements and inclined positions of telescopic parts of the telescopic charging chute are avoided by the solely vertical movement. This ensures that all of the parts of the telescopic charging chute function optimally and no emissions escape into the surroundings during the charging procedure.
A further embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention provides that the hydraulic actuators work together with an optical distance sensor mounted on the coal-charging larry cart and detecting the actual positions of the charging ports. The distance measurements are relayed directly to the controller of the hydraulic cylinders that then move the telescopic charging chute horizontally into a position assigned to the position of the charging-port jamb.
An apparatus for charging chambers of the coke oven usually also has a lid lifter for handling a lid closing the charging port as well as a device for cleaning the charging-port jamb. The lid lifter and the cleaner for the charging-port jamb can be integrated into the apparatus according to the invention. In a further embodiment, the invention teaches that at least one carriage is provided inside the support frame, movable along the profiles of the support frame and used as a carrier for a lid lifter or a cleaner of the charging-port jamb. The lid lifter provided on the carriage has a vertically adjustable support arm movable by a positioning movement of the carriage into a free space between the raised telescopic lower part of the telescopic charging chute and the charging-port jamb and equipped with an apparatus for detecting a lid closing the charging port or for cleaning the charging-port jamb. A hydraulic actuator engaging the carriage is advantageously also used for horizontally positioning the carriage.